Hide calls for probe into Maori sportscaster's pay

By AUDREY YOUNG

Act MP Rodney Hide is calling for the police to be brought in to investigate payments made to Te Mangai Paho ex-staffer Tame Te Rangi by Maori Sports Casting International.

Almost $14,000 was paid by MSCI either directly to Mr Te Rangi or to third parties for his expenses for commentaries in Maori for more than 40 sports fixtures.

At the same time, Mr Te Rangi was radio manager for Te Mangai Paho which paid the sportscaster just over $700,000 in the two years to March 31 this year, accumulated in 14 separate approvals.

According to the Treasury-led review of the affair released last week, many of the 14 approvals were made outside the annual tendering process "suggesting that Mr Te Rangi may have had more influence on the allocation of funding to MSCI than is first apparent".

Mr Te Rangi, who quit his post in March after Mr Hide raised the conflict of interest in Parliament, was imprisoned for fraud in the early 1990s.

Mr Hide yesterday said he had written to Prime Minister Helen Clark calling on her to sack Maori Affairs Minister Parekura Horomia and to bring in the police to look at the payments.

"The Treasury-led review has established the facts of the payments. The police must be called in to investigate their exact nature," he said.

Toby Curtis resigned as Te Mangai Paho chairman in the wake of the report.

Acting chairman Wira Gardiner told the Herald last night that he had not called in the police but had ruled nothing out.

"Everything is reviewable. Nothing is locked down," he said.

He has a series of further meetings tomorrow. A board meeting is scheduled for Thursday.

"I am taking it one step at a time."